Drain valve for refrigeration cars



March 17, 1953 1 B, BURR 2,631,683

DRAIN VALVE FOR REFRIGERATION CARS Filed Dec. 3l, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet l g .Il' i MHH 5 I' ,M i I E .Il .|I u *n ALL 2 f 26 -l g/ /9 INVENTOR. M/ 25. @Mfr/v,

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DRAIN' VALVE FOR REFRIGERATION CARS Filed Dec. 51, 1948 3 sheets-sheet 3 1:1 Ev lll jji lL-:1.5

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" A fron/viv Patented Mar. 17, 1953 ATENT OFFICE DRAIN VALVE FOR REFRIGERATION CARS Linton B. Burr, Evansville, Ind., assigner to International Steel Company, Evansville, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application December 31, 1948, Serial No. 68,470

1 Claim.

My inventionv relates broadly to drainage systems for refrigeration cars, and more particularly to an'improved construction of vdrain valve for refrigeration cars.

One of the objects of my invention isA to provide a drain valve system for refrigeration car installation by which infiltration of warm air into the refrigeration car is obstructed-while periodic draining of the refrigeration car may be effected. Y

VAnother object of my invention is to provide a construction of drain valve which is counterbalanced to normally close the drain opening for preventing infiltration of air into the drain, while permitting discharge of fluid from the drain periodically under theY weight of an accumulation of fluid from time to time. *Y

Still another object of my invention is to pro-- vide a construction of counterweight drain valve which may be permanently installed in the drain pipe of a refrigeration car for normally preventing infiltration of Warm air,'while being effective for releasing accumulated Waste periodically with minimum infiltration into the refrigeration car.`

A@ther and further objects of my invention reside in the improved construction of automatic closure for refrigeration vcar drain pipes, as set forth more vfully in the specification hereinafter following by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a vertical sectional View through the end of av refrigeration car installation showing the drain pipe associated therewith, and illustrating the application of the automatic closure or the drain pipe arranged in accordance with my invention, the drain pipebeing partially broken awayand shown 1in section for explaining the principle of operation of my invention; Fig. 2' is a horizontal sectional view of the drain pan with the associated drain pipe and the automatic closure of my invention associated therewith, the View being Vtaken substantially on line 2 2 of Fig. 4; Fig. 3 is'a'transv'erse sectional View oi thedrain pan and the associated drain pipe and automatic closure'valve associated therewith, the View being taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. l` isa lvertical sectional View of the drain pan, pipe, and automatic 'closure valve associated therewith, the view being taken substantially on line --f of Fig.'2; Fig. 5 is an enlarged side elevational View taken through the drain pipe partially in section, and showing the automatic closure valve in side elevational view; Fig. l5 is a `transverse sectional view of the .drain 2 pipe taken substantially on line E- of Fig. 5 and showing in plan View the counterweighted automatic closure valve which is associated with the end of the drain pipe in accordance with my invention, the valve being shown in closed position; Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view through the end of the drain pipe and showing the drain valve in'section, the view being taken substantially on line l-l of Fig. G; Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional View through the drain pipe and drain valve with the automatic closure valve closed; and Fig. 9 is a view similar to the view shownv in Fig. 8, but showing the automatic closure valve open under the weight of theaccumulated fluid,

large degree any 4infiltration of' warm air intov the refrigeration car even during the period of discharge.

Referring to the drawings .in more detail,I reference character l designates a conventional refrigeration car having installed adjacent one end thereof the brine tanks 2, 3, 4 and 5 supplied with brine through the Aheader 6 and connections l, 8, 9 and Il] leading thereto. The header is connected through a main supply and drain valve connection represented at l l, through which valve control rod l2 extends to a position adjacent the top of the refrigeration car to the manual control device i3 controllable from the outside of the refrigeration car.

The floor of the refrigeration car is formed from stainless sheet steel at the level designated at lll, terminating in a position beneath the brine tanks adjacent the end of the car in a drain pan l5 formed from stainless steel. The sides of the drain pan I5 abut against the side walls;

of the refrigeration car to provide a horizontally extending catch basin for drippings from the refrigeration car.

As shown more clearly in Eig. 4, the drain pan is disposed at a lower level thanthe level of the car floorV at Ill and receives the drainage from the floor It resulting from condensation or other v leakage during operation of the refrigeration car.

The end transverse partition i6 of the refrigeration oar terminates Vsufficiently above the stainless steel-door i4 as represented at ll to allowpassage of fluid into' the drain pan l5. A

vertically depending drain pipe l'connects to the drain panl and provides a vertically extendingcolumn'in which'uid may accumulate;

The end ofV the drain" pipe is-closed by a Vilat Ia of the drain pipe, forming a substantially fluid and gas tight closure for the end of the drain pipe. A bracket 20 is secured to the outside Wall of the drain pipe I8 adjacent the end thereof, and has a horizontally extending bore 23a in the portion 2Gb thereof, which extends transversely from the drain pipe I8. The fluid valve plate I9 integrally connects with a Weight or mass indicated at 2|. This mass or Weight 2! is provided with a central recess 22 therein into which transverse portion 20h of bracket 28 extends. A pin 23 extends horizontally through the ears 21% and 25 integrally connectedV with the Weighted mass 2| and through the bore Ztav in the transverse projection 28h of" bracket 28, thus providing a pivotal mounting for the lluid valve I9. The mass or weight ZI is chosen of such value that this mass or weight gravitationally maintains the fluid valve I9 into sub.- stantially liuid and gas tight relation to the ground circular end I8a of dra-in pipev I8. The ground circular end I 8a of drain pipe IB constitutes a limiting stop for the valve plate I9 in one position, While the valve plate I8 is free to be tipped against the eieetive gravitational force of the Weight or massl 2 I.

Under normal conditions theV valve plate It functions as a ilap valve in the position shown in Fig. 6, closing the end of drain pipe I8 against they inltration of WarmA air into the interior of the refrigeration car. However, as condensate and moisture collects in' the refrigeration car and rolls downY the floor I4 beneath the end partition Itl through the gap I'I on to the drain pan I5 it lls up in an 'accumulation of fluid in the vertically depending4 drain pipe I 8. When the weight of the accumulated fluid represented at 2t in Fig. 3 increases in an amount which overbalances mass or Weight 2'I', llap valve I9 is displaced angularly as represented :at: I9' in Fig. 9, allowing the accumulation of fluid 26 to discharge as represented at 26". The weight or mass 2| immediately moves the flap valve from the position I9v to the restored position I9, as represented in Fig. 8, closing ol the end of drain pipe I3 and preventing the inltration of warm air into the refrigeration car and thus impairing the efficiency' of' the. rate of refrigeration therein. Flap valve I9 is pressure, operated only so longr as the accumulated fluid overbalances the mass or weight 2I. As soon as'the gravitational effect of theV mass. or Weight 2I 'becomes greater than the weight of the accumulated fluid 26, the end or the drain pipe I8 is closed and thus prepared to receive a further accumulation of iluid or condensate. The operation of the drain Valve is automatic and may occur from time to time during transportation. The nap valve I9 is open for only an infinitesimal period of time and therefore does not permit inltration of Warm air to impair the refrigeration condition Within the refrigeration car.

Although I have explained my invention particularly in connection with a refrigeration car, I realize that the valve of my invention has many other applications and I desire that the disclosure herein be consideredin the illustrative sense and not as limiting my invention to any particular application.

While I have described my invention; in one of its preferred embodiments, I realize that medincations may be made., and I; desire that. it be understood that no limitations upon my invention are intended other than may be imposed by the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is a-s follows:

An attachment for the end of a drain pipe comprising a drain pipe terminating in a substantially flat peripheral sealing edge extending in a plane substantially normalV to the axis of the pipe, a bracket having a rounded central projection extending laterally from the wall of the pipe in a vertical plane and having opposite dat faces and terminating at its outer periphery in a curved substantially Vsemi-circular surface, and a pair of spaced curved extensions integral there- With and conforming with the external contour of the side wall of said drain pipe, detachable bolt members extending radially through the sidewall of the end of said drain pipe and engaging said spaced curved extensions, a relatively dat closure member havinga. sealing' portionon one side adapted to engage. the end of said drain pipe and having a substantially polygonally shaped counterweight on the other side, a rounded recess disposed in the central portion of the vertical Wall of said counterweight immediately adjacent said at closure member substantially conforming with the curvature of said rounded central projection on said bracket and a pair of lugs extending on opposite sides of the rounded central projection of said bracket and terminating in spaced relation to the detachable bolt members that enga-ge said spaced curved extensions, a pin extending through said pair of lugs and through the rounded central projection of said bracket for journalling said relatively at member with respect to the end of said drain pipe, said counterweight normally urging the sealing portion of said relatively flat member into engagement with the endV of said drain pipe for preventing infiltration of atmospheric air into the drain pipe and enabling the accumulation of nuid in said drain pipe to be discharged therefrom when the Weight of the uid overcomes the effective mass of the counterweight, the bottom surface of said relatively at member and said counterweight being substantially coplanar, and the upper surface of said counter- Weight being substantially coplanar with the top of the pair of spaced curved extensions on said bracket.

LINTON B. BURR.

REFERENCES ClTED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

